Lucy
by Narnia3393
Summary: Lucy goes undercover, but everything doesn't go quite as planned. My first fanfic! Reviews and critiques welcomed! Rated T for a little violence.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I admire C.S. Lewis very much, too much to take credit for what is clearly his world. Only Faylen, Miralen, Gerald, and the thieves are mine.

This is my first fan fiction. I welcome all reviews and critiques. If I have any spelling or grammatical errors, please let me know so that I can fix them, thank you.

xxxxx

"No, absolutely not," Peter said. "I will not allow you to do it."

"Peter, you know I can do it and I am the only one who can right now," Lucy replied.

"I should not have even let you come this far. You should have stayed at Cair Paravel."

Lucy sat down on a chair in Peter's tent. "It has to be done. This could be the end to the remnant of the Witch's army. If we know that they are there, we can end this for good. We have been fighting them for nearly seven years off and on. The rest of them could be in that town. We just have to know."

Edmund leaned against the table watching them argue. He didn't like where this was going.

"But we should send someone else. It is too dangerous. I cannot send you as a spy into what could very possibly be the last lair of the Witch's army. If they discovered who you are, your life would be forfeit," Peter replied

"This town is filled with humans and you, Edmund and I are the only humans in this army. A woman is a lot less threatening than a man. I can be a girl who has lost her parents and is on her way to find her aunt who lives somewhere around here. This gives me a reason to stay and search for a day or so. I am young enough to still need someone, but old enough to search on my own." Peter paced the tent and ran his hand through his hair.

"Lucy, you are only 14. No girl your age should be wondering around on her own."

"But I don't have a choice because I have nowhere else to go."

"Lucy, it is too dangerous."

'I agree," said Edmund. "If they are there and they do find out, it would be very hard to escape. Once they know you are there without other immediate aide you will be an easy target."

"If I do not go now, they will learn that we are near and move to another location and we will have to search for them again. Do you not want this to be over? Our people have been waiting too long for us to round up the stragglers that keep terrorizing them. This has to end. I will be careful. We need this and you know that," she said gently putting her hand on his shoulder.

"I know, but to risk you…I do not think I can do that," he said looking up at her.

"Aslan will protect me. He always does. Plus, it is possible that they are not even here which is why this mission is necessary. I will return to you. I promise."

Peter sighed in defeat. He wished that he could go, but he would arouse suspicion. Lucy would look so innocent.

"You promise?"

"I promise," she repeated.

xxxxx

The next morning, Lucy dressed in commoner clothes that had been purchased in a town north of the one she was infiltrating. She looked into her looking glass. It was pretty convincing she thought. The only problem being that it looked a little too clean, not like she had been traveling for a few days on the dirt roads. She left her tent and went to Peter and Edmund's tent. Peter looked up at her. He nodded approvingly at her disguise.

"You should walk around outside for a while and get it a little dirty," he said.

"Yes, I thought I should as well," She said and sat down on Peter's cot.

"Just make sure that you are not seen," Edmund warned.

"Of course."

"Will you go over your story for me?" Peter asked.

"My name is Eva Devere. I lived in Kentren until my parents Henden and Farwyn Devere died in a fire. I was out picking blackberries and it was burned to the ground when I returned. It happened three weeks ago Monday. The funeral was that Wednesday. I had heard about my Aunt Carela who had eloped and moved south, but I don't know her husband's name. He is a farmer. Carlea is my father's sister, but since she is married, her last name has changed. My father was a carpenter. My mother stayed home, but made quilts that she sold to help keep things running. I had no siblings and one friend named Sarina Fralin. I stayed with them for a week until I left to find my aunt. I did not move in there because they could not afford it. Anything else?"

"I think that covers it. You will leave after lunch. Remember you stayed at Chaylin last night. It is about an 45 minutes from Chaylin to Dunlar which is where you are going. Be careful," Peter said.

"Always. Now let us go eat some breakfast," Lucy said and led Peter and Edmund towards the smell of their breakfast being cooked.

xxxxx

Lucy slung her pack over her shoulder. It had a one change of clothes five biscuits and a little bit of money, but not much, only enough for her room and a little food. She had a small horn her cordial hidden under her dress and her dagger hidden in her boot. She took a deep breath. She had practically begged Peter to let her do this, but now she was nervous. She had begged because she knew that it needed to be done. They had to end this. She walked over to Peter and Edmund.

"It is time for me to go," she said trying to hide all traces of nervousness.

"Do you have everything you need?" Edmund asked.

"Yes, I will not be gone for more than two days. I do not need much."

"You have your horn in case you need help. We will be listening," Peter said.

'Yes, I know you will." She gave Peter a big hug.

"Be careful," he whispered once more.

"I will. Do not worry. Everything will be fine. I promised, did I not?"

He smiled. "You did."

She let go and stepped back. She gave Edmund a hug as well. She smiled, turned around, and walked toward Dungar.


	2. Chapter 2

Lucy walked down the dirt road for nearly 20 minutes before she came upon the town of Dunlar. It wasn't very large. It was also pretty islolated. Chaylin was the nearest city. There were guards at the gates. They looked at her as she passed by but didn't say anything. She breathed a silent sigh of relief. She would have to ask around for her aunt so that she wouldn't raise suspicion. She wondered where to start looking. She decided that she should go to the town center first. She kept walking until she found it. She walked up to the first person she met.

"Excuse me, sir. I am looking for Carlea. She is my aunt and I am trying to find her."

"Why?" the man asked sounding a little annoyed.

"My parents have recently died in a fire," she said looking down and forcing a few tears. "Aunt Carlela is the only family I have left. I only know that she moved south after she eloped with someone that my grandparents did not approve of."

"Never heard of her, sorry."

"I know that the man she married was a farmer. Could you point me towards the farms so I can look for her?"

"Get lost," he said. Lucy noticed that he stiffened a little. This could be a big clue, or maybe she was reading into it too much.

"But I must find her…"

"I said get lost," he interrupted.

Lucy moved on. She found a bakers shop with a woman inside. Perhaps she would be more open. She stepped in and the aroma filled her. She smiled and breathed deeply. Her stomach grumbled. Lunch had been a mere two hours ago. She could normally go longer, but everything in the shop smelled so good.

"Can I help you?" The woman asked.

"Yes, my name is Eva Devere. I am looking for my aunt, Carlea. She married a farmer and moved south. I am looking for her. Could you point me towards the farms?" Lucy asked.

"I am sorry Miss, there is no Carlea around here. I have lived here my entire life and know most everyone," she replied. "You best look somewhere else. Maybe she is in Chaylin."

"I just came from Chaylin. She is not there. It is possible that she changed her name. She did not want her parents to find her and take her home. If I could just look around and search the farms to see if I can find her…"

"The farms are to the west of the town," the woman replied with a smile.

"Thank you. Do you like living here?"

The woman's smile faded. She looked lost in thought for a moment and then regained her composure. "Every town has its problems."

"Really? What are the problems here? I would like to know since I might be living near here soon."

"Oh this and that. I shouldn't worry about it if I were you."

Lucy sighed inwardly of disappointment. She was really hoping that this woman would give her a clue. At least she could check the farmland off her list, probably. "Thank you," Lucy said and left the shop.

Lucy wandered down the street occasionally asking people about her aunt, but not many would even stop and the ones that did didn't stop long, only long enough to say that they didn't know her aunt and were busy. They all seemed a little afraid. If the remnant was here, that would give them a reason to be nervous. She was a little surprised that they might go to a town. That seemed a little bold. It would seem easier to hide in the forest, but then again Peter and Edmund had found them in the woods often and they might have done it as a last resort, controlling the people with fear. In that case, people probably wouldn't go near the place where they were hiding out. All she had to do was find a large building that could house them that was being avoided. It was a small town, it couldn't be that hard, could it? She had wandered while she was thinking and was startled back to where she was by a young man.

"Where are you going?" he asked nervously and quietly. "No one goes down this way. Come on back to the market with me."

"Why? What is down that way?" Lucy asked. She tried to look simply curious when she was getting excited inside. This was what she was waiting for!

"It doesn't matter," he said quickly. "Just don't go there, alright?"

They got to the market and she decided that she would wait until the cover of dark to investigate that street. That meant that she would have to find an inn to stay at.

She tried to ask others about the inn and about her aunt to keep her cover. The people here seemed very private, suspicious and above all scared. By the time she found the inn it was three hours later and she had been told nothing outright. Everyone seemed to want her to move on to another town. She finally found someone to tell her where the inn was. She looked up at the sign. It read "The Singing Swan Tavern and Inn." She walked inside and was immediately uncomfortable. It was filled with men that were drinking and talking really loudly. Many of them were staring at her. She stared straight ahead at the man behind the counter. She wished there was a better place to stay, but there was no other place. It was nearing six o'clock and in another hour it would be dark. A young lady would be in her room at this time.

"Excuse me, sir," she said to the man. "I was looking for a place to stay for the night and was told that this was the place. How much is a room? I do not need anything fancy or large."

"You are looking for the cheapest room? Well, you can sleep in the R room for only 3 crescents a night and it comes with a giant stick included."

"Only three crescents? That sounds good. What is the stick for?"

"You will see," He said. He grabbed a key, a lantern, and a stick and walked around the counter. Lucy followed him down the hall to the right and then down some stairs. He unlocked the door and let her in.

"This is the R room. I will need your name."

"Oh, I am sorry. My name is Eva Devere," Lucy replied. "You would not know of a Carlea would you?"

"Here is your key, your lantern, and your stick and enjoy your stay," He gave them to her and shut the door behind him.

She locked the door and then set the oil lantern on the small bedside table while she looked around the room. She saw something move and almost screamed. It was a rat! Now Lucy knew what the stick was for and the R in R room. She walked over and wacked at it then backed up quickly. After a second she looked again. She wasn't sure if it was dead or just stunned. She opened her door and kicked it out. She didn't like rats. Even the talking ones tended to be smooth talkers and rather underhanded. Mice were a different thing. Mice were noble and respectable, but she did not do rats.

She looked to the right of her bed across from the door and saw a small window at the top that was at ground level. Perfect. She could fit through it and sneak out in a few hours. She looked back at the bed. It didn't look very clean, but she would get over it because this was a mission and that meant that comfort was not important. She quickly whipped back the covers and waited for rats to scurry out. One did and she dropped the covers to whack it and kick it out like the other, which was no longer there she noted. She went back and thankfully there were no more rats in the bed and she sat down on it.

She tried to come up with a plan while she waited, but it was hard to do when she didn't know exactly where they were. She would have to be quiet. She just needed to find them and after she saw for sure that they were there, she could go tell Peter and Edmund. She would tell them right after she found out if she could sneak out of the city. If not, she would wait until the morning.

Lucy sighed. She was getting tired of waiting. It only gave her time to get more nervous. She tried to shove those feelings aside with thoughts of how Aslan would protect her and of how important this was. It didn't ease her worries. She trusted Aslan but this feeling still lingered. It was weird and different than other times. She just had a feeling that things would not go well, but she tried to ignore it. What could go wrong?


	3. Chapter 3

Edmund woke up again. He couldn't sleep tonight and he knew why. He looked over to see that Peter was not in his bed. He got up, strapped on his sword and went outside. Peter was standing there looking in the direction of Dunlar even though it was too far away to see.

"You cannot sleep either," Edmund said. It was more of a statement than a question.

"I am worried about Lucy," Peter said.

"I know. I am as well," Edmund sighed. He scanned the countryside almost hoping that he would see Lucy. He thought he saw something by a tree in the distance.

"Peter, do you see something over there?" Edmund asked.

"Where?"

"By that large tree to the right." Edmund pointed

Peter squinted, then his eyes widened. "It looks like a wolf!"

The wolf suddenly darted off toward Dunlar.

"Orious!" Peter cried. "There is a wolf that was over there that went toward Dunlar, you must catch him!"

Orious had galloped off before Peter even finished. Peter and Edmund held their breath that Orious would catch him. It was doubtful because the wolf was so far ahead. Ten minutes later Orious came back empty handed.

"I am sorry your majesties. He made it to Dunlar and I lost him."

Peter ran his hand through his hair. "They know we are here now. Awaken the troops. There may be a fight. I only hope that they do not discover Lucy."

xxxxx

It was time, finally. Lucy tried to move the bedside table over to the window quietly. It wasn't quite tall enough so she moved the wardrobe as well and then used the table as a step to get on top of the wardrobe. She pried the old window open and crawled out. Luckily the tavern and inn was on the edge of the town and she snuck off easily. She snuck around the building and stopped when she saw someone walk by. She stood against the building and waited for him to leave. She quickly ran across the street to the one that she had walked down earlier when the man had stopped her. She went down the road quickly running from one hiding spot to another. She kept going until she ran across a large warehouse. There was something going on inside. She peeked around the door and that is when she saw them. Hags, werewolves, Minotaurs, ankle slicers, wolves, and others that had fought for the witch were standing there around a campfire in the middle. This was all the proof she needed. She went back up the street. She had done it. She had found them and gotten away, almost. She was so close that she was sure that she would make it the rest of the way. She got to the end of the street and then her face went white. A wolf was running toward her. He saw her.

"What have we here?" He snarled.

"I was just sleepwalking. I do that when I am in places I do not know. I should get back to the Inn. Bye," she said and hoped that he bought it. No such luck.

He jumped in front of her. "Not so fast. I don't think I believe you. You were spying on us. I am afraid that you cannot leave now. You know too much."

Lucy started to run. The wolf howled and then charged after her. The road to the warehouse was not long and the others would be along shortly. Her adrenalin pumped. She looked behind and the wolf was on her heels. She reached for her horn, but dropped it in her haste. She was at the gate. The wolf grabbed her and she fell. She drew her dagger and stabbed him. He was not expecting that and was unprepared. She pushed his body off of her and tired to get her dagger, but there was no time. She got up to run again. She was slower now because he had bit her heel and it was bleeding a lot. She didn't know where she was going, just away from here. She saw a river and ran through it. She hoped that she could get far enough away and the wolves would lose her scent as the river washed it away. She rounded a corner and saw a small cave. She quickly hid inside. It was a small cave, but it was also less obvious to see. She had looked for caves along the shores of Cair Paravel and it helped her now. With her injured ankle, she would not get much farther. She tried to silence her breathing.

"Where did she go?" one of the hags asked.

"I do not know, but she cannot have gotten far. Let's go!" one of the Minotaur said.

Lucy breathed a sigh of relief. They were going past. She just had to wait until they got past her hideout and then she could find the camp. They were almost gone. Then the hag in the back looked toward the cave. Lucy moved back into the darkness and then sat still. The hag crawled through the small opening and stood above Lucy holding her torch.

"You really thought you could hide from us? How naïve." She raised her club and everything went black.

xxxxx

The troops were ready very quickly. They all knew what was at stake tonight. Peter had sent out a team of scouts. Secrecy was no longer something to concern themselves with. Now they had only to wait for a location.

"Your Majesties!" a leopard called out as he ran up to Peter and Edmund. "I saw them along the river!"

"Thank you, Leonin," Peter said. "Company, move out!"

The Narnian army moved out with amazing speed and raced for the river, following Leonin. They quickly found them and a battle ensued. The Narnians immediately got the upper hand and the remnant fled back toward the city. The Narnians pursued. They ran through the gates, leaving the guards at a loss of what to do. Peter and Edmund fought side by side and often back to back. The battle was almost over. Edmund was battling a hag and went in for the kill when she laughed.

"Why in the world would you be laughing?" Edmund asked.

"Unlike the others I recognized the girl who was spying on us," she said.

Edmund's face went white.

"That's right, you may have finally defeated us, but I have killed your sister. So, you haven't really won this…"

Edmund silenced her with his sword. "Peter!"

Peter turned around quickly. "What is it Ed?"

"She says that she killed Lucy."

xxxxx

They searched for Lucy, hoping against hope that she was alive, but they didn't find her. After a couple years, they gave up hope that they would ever see her alive again this side of Aslan's country.


	4. Chapter 4

Lucy awoke and looked around. She was in a cave, a cave that she didn't know. She sat up and then grabbed her head. She looked at her hand and saw that it was covered in blood that was drying. What had happened? She searched her thoughts. She couldn't remember.

Now she was starting to panic. She searched her thoughts and there was nothing there at all. Only her fear and confusion. She crawled out of the cave and fell at the edge of the river. She looked at her reflection and she didn't recognize the frightened girl staring back at her. She sat back and cried. She didn't know what to do or where to go. She felt lost. Her head started to spin. How much blood had she lost?

xxxxx

Miralen was watchful as she walked. She knew that she was farther away from her village than she was supposed to be, but she needed to find more mushrooms for her stew and she had followed them along the river to where she was now. With the remnants of the Witch's army about, food was getting scarce. It was all she could do to find enough food to feed her family. She had a husband and an eight year old daughter to feed and provide for. Things had gotten a little better since the Witch had been overthrown, but not much. At least it wasn't winter all the time, and they didn't have to hide anymore. Her great-grandparents had left their home and hidden their heirlooms and packed up only the necessities to move to Archenland. After the Witch had been defeated seven years ago, Miralen, her husband Gerald, and their daughter Faylen, had moved back into their family home and found the few treasures that their ancestors had meant to pass down to them. There were not many pockets of the Witch's army left, but there was one only 3 miles from her home. They ate more than one would think possible and no one felt safe. Everyone was afraid of being attacked by… She stopped dead in her tracks.

Right in front of her there was a girl lying by the river, bleeding. Miralen rushed to her side. She felt for a pulse. Thank Aslan she was still alive. Miralen ripped the edge of her dress and wrapped the girl's ankle and head. She was nearly two miles from her home and knew that she couldn't carry the girl all the way back, not without hurting her further. She pulled the girl away from the river and put her into a nearby cave out of sight. She rushed home to get her horse and buggy then took her home and dressed her wounds more properly.

xxxxx

Four years later, Miralen was weeding the garden with Rayla, the girl she had found by the river. Rayla didn't remember anything about before Miralen found her, but she had become a part of the family. Faylen looked up to her and was glad to have an older sister. Though her lack of memory bothered her at times, Rayla had become content in her new life. They discovered not long after they found her that the remnant was gone. Since then, things had gone better for them in their little village of Aldeia.

"The plants look good this year," Rayla said. "We should get a good harvest."

"You are wonderful with plants. They never looked better than when you started caring for them. You are a natural," Miralen said. She smiled as she looked at her.

"What? Why are you looking at me like that?" Rayla asked.

"Oh, nothing. I am just thinking about the beautiful young woman that you have become."

"Well, thank you. I could not have done it without you."

"Rayla, Rayla!" Faylen called.

"What is it, Faylen?" Rayla replied.

"Akila had her kittens! Come see!" Faylen pulled Rayla to the small barn behind the house. There were five kittens in all. They were so tiny and helpless. Rayla loved them all.

"Have you given them names?" Rayla asked.

"I was thinking about it. I want to name this one Helen after the first queen of Narnia and this one Frank. This one I would like to name after the brave King Gale."

"You like royal names, do you?"

"Yes, I always admired the Kings and Queens of Narnia. They are all brave and beautiful. I love the stories of them."

"Indeed, you do. What names for the other two?"

"This one, I would like to name after the Lady Polly who entered into Narnia on the day of its creation."

"And for the last one?"

Faylen looked up at her. "I would name her for the lost Queen Lucy."

Rayla looked at her thoughtfully. "It is a good name."

They heard a loud noise from the house and a scream. Rayla looked at Faylen.

"Faylen, stay here. Climb up onto the loft and hide there."

"But, Rayla."

"No, buts. Stay here. Promise me," Rayla said holding Faylen by the shoulders and looking her in the eye.

Faylen nodded, scared, and climbed the ladder into the loft. Rayla helped her lift the ladder up so that no one could follow her up. Rayla looked around the barn door and saw bandits robbing her house. They rode off leaving the house on fire. Rayla ran towards the house.

"Miralen!" she called. She ran into the house, looking for Miralen and Gerald. She coughed on the smoke. She searched frantically until she found them lying unconscious in the bedroom. She hooked her arms under Miralen's and dragged her out first and then went back in to get Gerald. After they were both out, she checked to make sure they were still alive. They were. She ran to the barn.

"Rayla, what has happened?" Faylen asked from her hiding spot in the loft.

"We have been robbed and they set the house on fire. I need to take the horse and go get the doctor."

"Why? Are Mother and Father alright?"

"They were inside and are unconscious. Do not worry. I will be back soon."

"What about the house?" Faylen asked.

"It is too late for the house."

Faylen teared as she climbed down. She walked outside as Rayla lead the horse out. She looked as her home burned.

"Do not go near the house, alright? Stay with your parents," Rayla said. She mounted the horse and road off at a gallop towards Dr. Tanson's house. She looked over her shoulder to see Faylen kneeling down by her parents. She had to get to the doctor's house soon. After all they had done for her, she could never repay them.

She pulled up on the reigns as she neared the house. The door had been broken in. She jumped off the horse and ran inside. The small house had been ransacked and robbed. She searched the house quickly and found that Dr. Tanson was not there. She was grateful that he had not been harmed, but she needed to find him quickly to save Miralen and Gerald. She heard a noise from behind and gasped as she turned around.

"Dr. Tanson, you startled me," she said and rushed to him.

"Rayla, what happened here?" He looked around the small house in shock.

"It was like this when I arrived. They attacked my home as well. Miralen and Gerald are gravely injured and I came here for your aid. Please, will you not come with me?"

"Of course. I will gather my supplies quickly and meet you out side." He rushed around the room picking up as many of the supplies that he needed as he could. He then mounted his horse which was still saddled outside and followed Rayla back to her house. He quickly tended to their wounds while Rayla took Faylen aside and comforted her.

"Are they going to be okay, Rayla?" Faylen asked, resting her head against Rayla's shoulder as they sat underneath the big oak tree.

"I do not know, Faylen, but we must have faith." Rayla wrapped her arm around Faylen and hugged her.

"What do we do? What if they come back? What if they attack our friends too? They have to be stopped." Faylen buried her face in Rayla's shoulder.

"Don't worry about the what ifs. You let me worry about it, alright?" Rayla said.

Dr Tanson walked over to them. Rayla looked up at him.

"How are they, doctor," Rayla asked.

"Can I speak to you alone, Rayla?" he asked.

"Sure." She got up and followed him out of hearing distance from Faylen.

"I'm not going to lie to you. They aren't going to make it. Gerald is already gone and Miralen will follow within the hour."

Rayla sobbed as quietly as she could.

"I am sorry, Rayla. I will help you bury them. I would let you stay at my house, but it is in shambles.

"Thank you. We will manage," Rayla said.

"Where will you go?" he asked.

"To the Johansens' place. They are old family friends of Miralen and live not far away from here."

"Have a safe journey. Be careful, the raiders might still be out there."

"We will."

They buried Miralen and Gerald, then Faylen and Rayla said a few words of good bye.

"Come on, Faylen. We best go now." Rayla lead Faylen away and placed her on the saddle behind her. They set off for the Johansens' at a quick pace. Rayla felt the back of her shirt get wet. She looked back to see Faylen quietly crying. She wished she could offer some words of comfort, but what could she say? The girl had lost her home and parents all in one day. So she said nothing and let Faylen cry. She saw the Johansen place ahead and urged the horse to a quicker pace. The Johansens lived in a cabin not unlike the cabin where Rayla lived, except this one was bigger because the Johansens had seven children, four sons and three daughters. They were farmers and so they had a lot of land and all of the children helped out. They were all very kind.

Rayla had been thinking on the whole ride over about what to do. She had finally come to a decision, but she knew that Faylen would not like it.

They reached the house. The eldest son, Raden, was out front chopping wood. He was sixteen years old.

"Good afternoon, Rayla, what brings you out our way?" He asked, swinging his ax to stick in the stump. As Rayla dismounted, he realized that something was wrong by their expressions. "What has happened?" he asked.

"I will tell you inside, are your parents inside?" Rayla asked.

"Yes, Mother is. I'm sorry. Come on in." He led them inside the cabin. Mrs. Johansen was sitting by the fire mending clothes. She looked up.

"Rayla, what's the matter?" She asked. She got up and came over to them.

"The house was attacked by raiders today," Rayla started out.

"Was anyone hurt?" Mrs. Johansen asked, concerned.

"Miralen and Gerald were in the house and were killed. Faylen and I were out in the barn. Dr. Tanson helped us bury them. Our house was burned down."

"Oh!" She exclaimed. "I am so sorry to hear that. You must stay here of course," she offered without hesitation.

"Thank you for your hospitality. It will just be Faylen staying though," Rayla said.

"What?" Faylen asked in surprise. "You aren't staying?"

"No," Rayla said. "I cannot. Something must be done about these raids. I heard about similar attacks not far from here last week. I think that there are too many for the local authorities to handle. I must go to Cair Paravel and ask for aid from the kings and queen. Dr. Tanson's house was attacked as well. You should prepare yourselves. I would hate for anything to happen to you."

"Of course. Thank you for the warning. If you must go, then I wish you safe travels. You must at least stay the night, but are you sure? Cair Paravel is far away. It is at least a three day ride there. And how can you be sure that they will help. They have a whole country to rule. They can't send out troops for everything."

"Then I must convince them to help us. I must, before more people are attacked. It is three days away, and in order to get aid before more people are killed, I must be off at once. I cannot afford to waste any time. I am a good rider. I will make good time."

"At least let me make you a pack and send some money with you," Mrs. Johansen said insistently.

"I am already imposing enough as it is."

"No, I insist. You must have something to eat on the road."

"You are right. Thank you. You are very kind."

Mrs. Johansen hurried around the kitchen and gathered supplies.

"Please don't go, Rayla," Faylen pleaded. "I need you here, with me."

"I know, and I want to be with you to. But if my going can save some people from being attacked as well, do you not think that I should go. If I did not think that I must, I would not leave you, not now, but I must. I will miss you, but I will be back soon. I promise. I will hurry."

She hugged Faylen tightly. "You promise?" Faylen asked.

"I promise. Always remember that Aslan knows what he is doing. He will protect me."

"Here you are," Mrs. Johansen said. She handed Rayla a saddle bag filled with bread, cheese, and a couple water skins along with a few coins and a change of clothes including a hooded cloak.

"I cannot thank you enough," Rayla said. She gave Mrs. Johansen a hug. "I will not forget this."

She gave Faylen one last hug and headed out. She prepared herself for the long journey and mounted her horse. She wanted to get as far as she could today while there was still daylight to see. She had to be careful, though, that she would not meet the raiders along the way. She kept to the main roads as often as possible, hoping that the raiders would be more sneaky and try to take back ways as not to get caught by the authorities. She kept looking over her shoulder fearful of see them pursuing her from behind. She decided to take a shortcut by following the river to the next town. She only road for a few hours before the sun started to set. She knew that it would be dark soon. She saw a cave to her right and decided to stay the night inside. She looked around. In the dim light she almost didn't recognize the place. Miralen had brought her here a couple times. It had been right by this river in this spot that Miralen had found her four years ago.

She tried not to think about her past too much most of the time. It only made her sad. At first she thought about her past a lot. She tried to remember, but she couldn't. She didn't recognize the area at all. She wondered if she was even from around here. She didn't think that she was from anywhere very near, because no one knew who she was. Had she been on a trip? What was on her mind even more was wondering if anyone was looking for her. Was there anyone that had missed her when she was gone? Had they looked for her? Or was there no one to look for her? Perhaps she had been an orphan who was looking for a place to stay or for work. If she thought about it too much, she would cease to live, so she pushed back those thoughts anytime they started to creep into her mind.

But right now, she couldn't seem to push them back. She wondered. She wondered if she would ever know the answer. She was beginning to doubt it. It had already been four years. She was eighteen now. It was time to move on. She had moved on, until her new home went up in flames and her new life was threatened. She sobbed as she thought of Miralen and Gerald. They had been like parents to her and more than that, they had been friends. She hid her horse in the forest, unrolled the bed roll that Mrs. Johansen had sent and tried to sleep. It took her nearly an hour, but she finally drifted off into a fitful sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

Rayla awoke to noise outside the cave. She shrank back into the shadows of the small cave and kept as silent as she could. She looked and saw what was making all of the noise. The raiders were right outside of the cave she was in. She hoped that they didn't discover her horse. Then they would know that someone was there. She listened in to their conversation.

"I am tired of hitting small homes of poor people. We don't get enough to make it worth the risk," one said.

"We get a lot of food when we hit farms," another said.

"That's true. That at least is worth something," the first said.

"I agree with you, though. I think that instead of splitting up and hitting a few homes, we should stick together and hit something that will gain us a profit. I want to get more than food. I did this to get rich." They both laughed.

Rayla listened in to more conversations, but most of them were boring and didn't give her any more information about their plans. She did find out that this was just a break; they were not setting up a camp or anything. She was grateful for that, because if they did stay here, she was sure to be found out. She crept back to the back of the small cave and waited for them to head out from their water break. She was a little upset. This was slowing her down. She wanted to get to the castle as soon as possible. She needed to get help back home before the raiders hit the Johansen farm.

After another twenty minutes, they headed out and Rayla let out a sigh of relief. They headed in the opposite direction than she was going so as soon as they were out of sight, she hurried to gather up her things and mount her horse. She started out at a faster pace, but slowed back down knowing that she had a long ride ahead of her and she couldn't wear out her horse or she would take forever to get to the castle. She rode through Dunlan. It was a noisy, dirty city and she didn't care for it. She had a bad feeling as she rode through. She wondered if there was a reason, but unable to think of one, she pushed the thought aside and continued. She turned north towards Chaylin. She planned to go around the city, though, because it was more crowded making it actually faster to go around.

Rayla liked riding. She was good at it, even more so than most people in her home town, especially for a girl. What she didn't like was the endless hours of silence that invited in all of the thoughts that she had suppressed. It also allowed for worries about Faylen. She passed Chaylin before noon and stopped on the other side to eat lunch. She ate quickly, but had to rest her horse some, so she sat under a tree. She breathed deeply. She couldn't believe that everything that had happened had really happened. She had finally adjusted to her new life and accepted that she would not remember or return to whatever her past was. It almost made her despair, but she could not. Everything would be alright. It had to be. She just had to trust Aslan. He would protect her. He may not be tame, but he is good.

"I could use some help now, Aslan," she thought. "I have no idea what I am going to tell the court once I get there. How can I convince them to help us?"

She knew that he would help her when the time came. First things first, though. She had to get there. She stood up and dusted off her dress. She mounted again and headed north east, to Cair Paravel.

The next day, she stopped by a market to buy some more food. The further she got from her home near the border to Archenland, the more Narnian creatures she saw. Dwarves, centaurs, dryads, fauns, talking animals, it was all so exciting and interesting. Rayla wished that she had time to enjoy all of the new sights on her journey, but she was on a mission. The villagers of Aldeia were counting on her and she would not fail them. She pressed on, riding for long hours until she could no longer see her way. Reluctantly, she looked for a place to stay the night. There were no caves around here. She looked around, but all she saw were trees. She rested under a large oak tree. Tomorrow she would reach the castle. Tomorrow, she would have to approach the court and its rulers to get aid for her friends and family. They were all counting on her, whether they knew it yet or not. She thought of Miralen, Gerald, Faylen, the Johansens, and all of her other neighbors. The thought of them in peril gave her courage. If there was one thing that Rayla was, it was loyal. She let the thought of them give her courage and peace about tomorrow and drifted off to sleep.

xxxxx

Rayla woke up. This was the day. She got out the last of her food. The bread was starting to get hard, but she finished it and the cheese. She saddled her horse and was off once again. She had to hurry to get there while they were holding court so that she could bring her appeal before them. Court was held from 2:00 to 4:00 on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Today was Wednesday and if she missed it, she would have to wait another two days. She quickened her pace a little at the thought. She was pretty sure that she could make it without any problems. She would likely make it by 3:00. She rode for hours without stopping. The closer she got, the more crowded the streets got. She maneuvered through the crowds as quickly as she could. It was 2:00 now. The crowds had slowed her more than she expected, but no matter, she would still make it. Then she felt a drop fall on her arm. She looked up and it started to pour. She reached down into the saddle bags and grabbed the cloak that Mrs. Johansen had sent with her. She pulled the hood up over her head and hunched down over her horse. This couldn't be happening. This would slow her down even more. She couldn't go as fast as she wanted to because she couldn't risk her horse slipping in the mud and getting injured. Then she would never make it. She continued down the road as quickly as she dared. The clouds hid the sun from sight, so she couldn't tell what time it was, but she knew that it was getting late. She urged her horse, Dania, a little faster. He slipped once, but didn't hurt himself. She was forced to slow once again. She could see it in the distance, getting closer, the castle. It was even more beautiful than she had imagined. It filled her with feelings that she couldn't explain. She had a feeling that she had ridden into this city before. She didn't know what would await her there. She hoped that she would make it. She reached the city and made her way slowly through the crowds. The sun was starting to peek through the clouds, but it was still raining. She tugged on her cloak hood, trying to use it to block the rains so she could see where she was going. She couldn't tell for sure if she had missed it yet, but if not it was getting close. At last she reached the gates of the castle. She made it through and dropped the reigns to her horse. She ran up the stairs and made her way to the throne room. People were walking out of the room.

"No," she thought. She had not come this far to miss it by mere minutes. She pushed through the small crowd leaving the throne room. She reached the door and an imposing looking centaur barred the way.

"Court has adjourned. Come back on Friday," he said.

Rayla shrank back a little unconsciously, but she didn't stop. It was too important. "You don't understand. I have to see them today."

"I am sorry. You should have arrived sooner."

"I have been traveling in every hour of daylight for three days. I came as quickly as I could."  
"I'm sorry," he said, but he didn't move. Rayla looked around him and saw that one of the kings was still in the room, King Peter she believed. She had to do something. She twisted around the centaur and broke into a run.

"Your Majesty!" she called. He looked up to see the cloaked girl running towards him. He started, surprised. She didn't get far before the centaur caught up to her and grabbed her. As he did her hood slid off. King Peter's face turned white and the centaur froze. Rayla looked at them, confused.

"Lucy?" Peter whispered. He ran down the stairs of the dais and stopped right in front of her. The centaur let go of her. Rayla started to bow, but before she could, King Peter hugged her, of all things. She stiffened, stunned. He pulled back.

"Lucy, where have you been?" he asked. "We thought you were dead."

"Lucy?" Rayla thought. Realization hit her. He must think that she was the lost queen.


	6. Chapter 6

"You must be mistaken, my lord," she said. She curtsied. "I am not of this Lucy you speak of."

"What do you mean?" He asked. "Of course you are Lucy. Do you think that I do not recognize my own sister?"

"_It cannot be,"_ she thought. She had wondered about her past, but had never thought of this. _"Could it be true?"_

"I am sorry, my lord. I did not mean that. I only mean that I know nothing of it. You see, I was found four years ago with not a single memory. I have been living in Aldeia near the border to Archenland for the past four years. I am called Rayla. I do not know anything of what you speak of. My village has been attacked by raiders and I came to implore you to help us, for we do not have the forces to repel them."

"Four years ago is when Lucy was lost. It was not far from where you have been. Do you not see? It is you."

Rayla turned, overwhelmed. It all made sense if what he said was true, and she had no reason to doubt him. Why hadn't they searched for her then? Or had they, but if she was so close, they probably would have found her if they had searched for her.

"Here, come sit down, you do not look so good," Peter said. She let him lead her to the stair and sat down.

"I am sorry. I am a little overwhelmed."

"I understand. I wish I knew what happened so that I could explain it to you."

"You do not know?" she asked.

"I know some, but not all. If I had known it all we would have found you, though," he smiled. "We thought that you had been killed, we looked for your body, but did not find it. We figured that they had thrown it in the river. It was the worst feeling I have ever known, when we thought you had been killed. I blamed myself for letting you go in there."

"Go in where?" she asked.

"Perhaps we should go find the others and we will all explain it to you together, yes?"

Rayla nodded. Her stomach did a little flip at the thought of meeting the other royals.

"Wait," she said, remembering the villagers. "My village, Aldeia still needs your aid. My friends there are in grave danger."

"This means a lot to you I see, yes?"

"Yes, it does."

"I will send some men at once. Orious," Peter said addressing the centaur. "Will you take care of it?"

"Yes, my liege," he said with a slight bow. "Lucy, how many are there do you know? What can you tell me about them?"

"I am unsure of how many there are exactly. There are at least forty of them. Sometimes they split up and hit a couple different houses, but they were talking about going together and hitting something bigger."

"When did you find that out?" Peter asked curiously.

"They stopped for a water break outside of the cave I had slept in. They did not see me, but I could hear some of them talking."

Orious left the room. Peter extended his hand and helped her to her feet. "Come, let's go find the others."

Peter led her from the throne room. She shivered.

"I am sorry. You must be cold. You must go change. I do not want you to catch a cold. I will bring you to your room first so you can change. You can wear one of Susan's dresses."

"That is alright. I have a change of clothes," Rayla said. "It is in my saddle bags on my horse."

"Oh, where is your horse. I shall have someone fetch it for you if you wish."

"Oh, I forgot. I dropped Dainia's reigns in a hurry to get here in time for court. My horse has probably wandered off. I do not know where he is."

"Then you must borrow a dress from Susan. Come, I will not take no for an answer." He led her to her old room. "It hasn't been touched since you left it."

Rayla looked about the grand room. It almost seemed familiar, but she couldn't believe that she had once lived in a room as grand as this one. It was spacious and light poured through open windows making the room light and cheery. There was a large painting of Aslan above the bed. She stared at it.

"You always loved that painting. You have faith in Aslan when no one else does. That is one of the many things I love about you."

She looked at the painting for a moment longer and then back at Peter. "I always knew that he knew what he was doing."

"And he has brought you back to us." Peter gave her another hug and then went off to get a dress from Susan's room.

Rayla wandered around the room.

"_This is bigger than my entire house back in the village!" _she thought.

It was neat, but it was obvious that someone had lived in it. There was a book on the deck by the sofa that was by the fireplace. She picked it up and started reading. That is how Peter found her when he returned with the dress. He walked in and smiled. Rayla started.

"Sorry, you startled me," she said. She put the book down.

"I bought you that book, you know, for your fourteenth birthday."

"It was a wonderful gift. I love it."

Peter smiled at her. "Well, I am off to find the others. I will come get you once I have gathered them all. Is that alright?"

She nodded.

She looked at the dress Peter had left for her on the bed. It was light blue and very beautiful. She quickly put it on. She looked at the bed. It was so large. She guessed that it was probably very comfortable too. She sat down on it and then laid back. It was even more comfortable than she had supposed and, weary from her travels, she quickly fell asleep.

xxxxx

Peter gathered Susan and Edmund in the library and then went up to get Lucy. He found her fast asleep on her bed. He was loath to wake her, so he decided to let her rest some first. He quietly left the room. He then went to tell Susan and Edmund that something had come up and he would have to show them the surprise a little later.


	7. Chapter 7

As Lucy slept, she had a dream. In her dream, she saw Aslan there in the room with her.

"Lucy," he said.

"Is that really who I am?" she asked. "Am I really Lucy?"

"You know that it is. You have forgotten who you are. But deep down you know what your brother says to be true."

"Yes, Aslan,' she said. "Only, I wish that I remembered. I wish I at least knew who they are. I feel out of place here, Aslan. Right now I just want to go back to Aldeia. I want my old life back, but I know that I cannot have that even if I was not Lucy. Help me, Aslan. I do not know what to do."

"Remember," he said and he breathed on her. All at once she remembered everything, England, the wardrobe, the White Witch, their coronation. She remembered everything, her undercover mission and how it went wrong. She gasped as the memories flooded back into her mind.

She awoke suddenly and looked around. She remembered this room now. She laughed with joy. She had given up hope that she would ever remember. She knew that Peter would have gathered Susan and Edmund in the library, so she ran down to it. She flung open the doors to three shocked faces.

"Peter!" she cried. "I remember." She ran over and gave him a hug and then hugged Susan and Edmund as well. They were speechless from surprise.

"Lucy, can it really be you?" Susan asked as she clung tightly to her little sister.

"Yes, it is."

"What made you remember?" Peter asked.

"Aslan did," she said and smiled. "I had a dream and Aslan came to me in the dream and he told to remember, then breathed on me and I did remember. I cannot imagine what it was like, thinking that I had died. But, why did you think I was dead? You cannot have found a body."

"We did not, but we did find a hag who had recognized you and claimed to have killed you. When we searched for you, but never found you, we assumed that she had killed you and thrown your body into the river. We killed them all, so we knew that they could not have captured you and we figured that if you were alive, you would have returned. We did not count on you losing your memory," Peter said.

"I was attacked by a hag. She hit me over the head with her club in a very small cave."

"That must be why we did not find you. We did not see the cave. I can tell you that hearing that hag tell me that she killed you was the worst experience of my life, and I have had some bad ones," Edmund said.

"I am sorry that I caused you all such pain," Lucy said.

"You have no need to be sorry, Lucy. It was not your fault and there was nothing you could have done," Susan said.

"Maybe I should not have gone in the first place," Lucy said.

"You did what you had to in order to stop the attacks. No one knew that it would turn out so poorly. Ed and I both had a bad feeling that night after you went in," Peter said.

"I am glad to be back, but there is someone back in Aldeia that I must go to. Her name is Faylen. She was like a sister to me. Her parents took me in. She has just lost her parents and I promised that I would hurry back to her. She has nowhere to go. She is currently staying with some neighbors, but she cannot stay there forever."

"I will send for her at once. She can live here in the castle with us," Peter said.

"Would you let her?" Lucy said hopefully.

"Of course. She is obviously close to you and you would not be happy to have it any other way. That is enough reason for me," Peter said.

"Thank you Peter!" Lucy said. She gave him a big hug. "I have one more favor to ask."

"Name it," Peter said.

"May I be the one to go get her?" she asked. "I know that I have just returned and I want to stay here with all of you. I hate to leave so soon, but she will be afraid to have strangers show up to bring her somewhere else no matter who they say sent them."

Peter, Susan, and Edmund all looked at each other.

"We could come with you," Susan suggested. "That way we could be together and you could still go get Faylen."

"That would be nice, but someone has to watch the castle," Peter said.

"Can someone else not watch the castle for a few days?" Susan asked.

"It would be a week," Peter said. Susan looked at him with pleading eyes. "But I suppose this is a special occasion. I know that I would not be willing to be the one left behind, so I cannot ask it of either of you."

"Thank you Peter!" Susan said. She grinned. "I am going to go start packing."

Susan grabbed Lucy's arm and pulled her upstairs to pack.

xxxxx

The next day, early in the morning, they were all packed and smiling, ready for the trip with all of the troops that were coming with them.

"Lucy, tell us about what you have been doing for the last few years," Peter said as they rode down they rode leading out of Cair Paravel.

"I was found by a wonderfully kind woman named Miralen. Her husband's name is Gerald and they have a daughter named Faylen. Faylen is like a little sister to me. Miralen brought me back to her home and nursed me back to health. We tried for a while to regain my memory, but to no avail. She could not leave me on my own, so she took me in. I helped wherever and whenever I could. I helped her weed the garden, do the laundry, cook, clean, mend, anything. I will be forever in her debt. If she had not taken me in I do not know what would have happened to me. I might have died without her nursing me back to health."

"Then we are all in her debt," Peter said, smiling at Lucy.

"I only wish that she was still alive so that I could thank her again."

"I'm sure she knew."

"Yes, I hope so."

"We started hearing of attacks about a week ago. It was only a day or two before they attacked our house. It was terrible. Faylen and I were in the barn looking at the newborn kittens when we heard the men outside. We hid until they left. That is when I found them. They were inside the house that was on fire. I could not leave them in there, so I pulled them out. The doctor in our town was away when his house was attacked and robbed. When he returned, not long after I reached his house, he came back to our house to help us bury them."

"I am really sorry, Lucy," Susan said, looking at her sister sympathetically.

"Thank you, I think that it hasn't yet really set in. I am really confused. My memory coming back has made that worse. I am trying to differentiate between what really has happened and what has not."

"It will get better soon."

"I keep expecting them to be there when I get back. I get excited about introducing you to them. Then I realize that they will never get to meet you. They will never know that my memory came back. There is so much that I want to tell them, you know?

"Yeah, we do," Peter said. The siblings looked at each other. "We all went through that after we thought we had lost you. We were all waiting for your cheerful face to come bouncing down the stairs to eat breakfast with us or to see you dancing and laughing at the balls. There was so much that we wanted to tell you and I am sure that soon we will all find time to spend with you alone to tell you those things that we thought we never could."

"I guess you do know about that."


	8. Chapter 8

They passed the rest of the trip catching up with each other and bringing Lucy up to date with the status of the country. They all enjoyed every moment, glad to be back together. Before they knew it, they were approaching Aldeia. As they approached the Johansen place, they could hear the din of fighting. Mr. Johansen and his sons Raden, Branen, and Teddry were defending their land and their family. Branen was fourteen and Teddry was only twelve, but they did what they could. They were defending the barn were Lucy was sure the rest of the family and Faylen were. The Narnian troops quickly joined the fray. Lucy urged her horse forward to find Faylen with her siblings on her tail. She opened the barn doors and the occupants inside screamed or jumped, expecting it to be the robbers coming to kill them.

"Rayla!" Faylen cried. She ran to hug Lucy. "Did you bring help?"

"You bet I did, would I let you down?" Lucy asked. Faylen smiled at her. She looked past Lucy and saw the other three monarchs. The others behind her were already bowing.

Faylen quickly bowed to them.

"Rise," Peter said.

"Your majesties," Mrs. Johansen started, "we were not expecting you to come yourselves."

"We wanted to come with Lucy," Peter stated simply.

"I am afraid I do not understand, "she replied.

"Peter, I got this," Lucy said. "I got my memory back."

"Rayla, that's wonderful," Faylen exclaimed. "What did you remember?"

"Faylen, my real name is not Rayla."

"I know."

"It is Lucy."

"Just like the lost queen."

"Yes, just like the lost queen. That is because I am that Lucy."

"What are you saying?"

"Faylen, I am the lost queen. I got injured on a mission and lost my memory."

"I...Wow…I do not know what to say," Faylen said, in shock. "Why did your siblings not come for you?"

"They thought that I had been killed."

"I am so happy for you," Faylen said. She hugged Lucy again.

"We are all inviting you to come live in the castle with us," Lucy said.

"Really? Do you mean it?"

"Of course, I would not have it any other way."

"You are a queen. I cannot believe it."

Lucy laughed, but her laugh was interrupted by the flinging open of the barn doors. A robber ran inside. When he saw the people inside, he decided to go down bringing someone with him. He aimed his bow at Faylen and released the arrow. Lucy saw it coming and jumped in front of Faylen to protect her. The arrow imbedded itself in her stomach.

"Lucy!" her siblings screamed. Peter quickly killed the man and they all ran over to Lucy who had slid to the ground.

"No, Lucy," Peter pleaded. "Stay with me."

He looked at the wound and realized that it was quite serious. He looked up desperately at Susan and Edmund. He pulled the arrow out of her.

"Lucy, we cannot lose you. We just got you back," Susan cried. Lucy struggled with something on her belt. She pulled out her cordial.

"I… grabbed it from…my room…before we…left," Lucy struggled. While she was explaining, Edmund had grabbed the bottle and uncorked it. He poured a drop into her mouth and they all held their breath. They knew that it worked, but every time that they had to use it, they feared that it would be the first time that it would fail. Their fear was unnecessary, though, and Lucy quickly started to heal. They all pulled her into a hug.

"This is almost déjà vu," Lucy said thinking back to Edmund at Beruna.

"Do not ever do that to me ever again," Susan said.

"Why would you do that? You could have died; you almost did," Faylen said, crying softly.

"I would do anything for you. I would never let anyone hurt you."

The fight was quickly over. Any thieves that surrendered were arrested and pretty soon they were all on their way back to Cair Paravel. As they rode, Faylen got to know Lucy's siblings. The more they got to know each other, the more they liked each other. Faylen loved living in the castle and was soon a part of the family. Lucy looked around at her family, including Faylen and silently thanked Aslan for looking out for them and bringing Faylen into their lives. He always knows what he is doing.


End file.
